The 1998 Thurston High School Attack

July 5, 2016
What happens when students decide to fight back? Even if injured? The number of fatalities is reduced. Such a response should be empowered. This lesson is clearly demonstrated in the 1998 Thurston High School attack.

On May 21, 1998 in Springfield, OR, Kipland Kinkel perpetrated a school shooting at Thurston High School after killing his parents the night before. Kipland was reportedly a troubled student who was pending expulsion from the school at the time of the shooting.

On May 20, the day before the shooting, Kipland was suspended and was pending an expulsion from Thurston for being in possession of a loaded, stolen handgun on school property. One of Kipland’s friends had stolen the Beretta Model 90 .32 caliber handgun the night before from his father and had sold it to Kipland for $110. The friend’s father reported the handgun as stolen and reported to the police a list of possible students that could be involved in the stealing/purchase of the handgun. Kipland’s name was not on the list but the school believed he may have been involved and questioned Kipland to which he responded, “Look, I'm gonna be square with you guys; the gun's in my locker.”

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The remainder of this article is part of the book "Active Killers and the Crimes They Perpetrated," available in print or ebook via Amazon.

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